Oh my gosh! It is December!! The holidays are here! So much to do! Plan parties! Attend parties! Get gifts! Get the gifts we forgot! Oh shoot, I didn’t get him a gift! I have to go shopping now! Get decorations! Hang up decorations! Eat! Clean! Clean! Eat! Clean up! Put away the decorations! Collapse.

That is often the experience that many people have for the holidays. We are all so wrapped up in taking care of everything that we totally lose track what the holidays are about. We certainly forget to relax and enjoy them. Or we make a promise that next year we will do it differently.

Do not wait for next year. Make this year different! The first thing to look at are holidays past. What worked? What did you enjoy? What do you never want to experience again? What traditions do you want to keep? Which should be trashed? Sit your family down and see what they like. Make some decisions, some tough, some not so much. Create the holiday that you want.

Then start saying no. No to people or plans or activities that you and your family decided you did not want to do or were not meaningful to you. The next part is the fun part! Start saying yes! To all the things that you have agreed to do!

But most of all have a meaningful holiday surrounded with love and peace and the people who mean the most to you! Happy hoidays!